MSQM: BA Student Joseph Fitzgerald
Senior Operational Risk Specialist
Bank of America

MSQM: Business Analytics

Class of 2025

Industry:

Finance

Prior Education:

Villanova University
Finance / Business Analytics

Hometown:
Bridgewater, New Jersey
Nationality:
American

Reflections

In traditional fashion, Fuqua was ahead of the curve when it came to analytics degrees. They saw a need for a new discipline for graduates furthering their business education. We take the exact same core classes as the daytime MBAs with many of the same professors, so we’re not missing out on the more traditional business side of the curriculum. In place of electives that build on fundamentals, we go broader—focusing on statistics, math, and computer science.

I feel very fortunate to be a part of my team. Everyone pulls their weight and offers a uniquely valuable skill set. I’ve never been part of a group that operates with so few hiccups. We’ve got a mathematician, two consultants with exceptional writing and presentation skills, an engineer with fifteen years of experience and two intermediate-level coders (one who specializes in R and one who specializes in Python). Within our team, there are three people of color and two LGBTQ+ individuals. It looks like every C-suite should.

 

 

 

I work in data privacy compliance. My main responsibilities include compiling inventories to support regulatory reporting, aggregating data around everyday breaches of customer data, auditing existing routines such as onboarding and client support, assessing changes for impact on customer/employee rights, and facilitating process changes to ensure continued adherence. The regulatory environment is constantly shifting as the rights of data subjects (and the choices that stem from them) have serious implications for the 22,000 operations associates across Bank of America. With tens of millions of customers, the amount of data in use is staggering.

Everybody knows that a Fuqua degree opens doors. My current organization has a very supportive leadership structure and I’m grateful for the financial support and mentorship that I’ve received thus far. Bank of America is also known for letting rising stars pivot if their interests change at some point. By the same token, there are countless opportunities out there, many of which can make you happy and you’ll never know if you never take a leap of faith. I want to stay open-minded and keep my options open. That’s why I picked this program. It’s a happy medium between technology and business.

Advice to Prospective Students

Whenever you have any motivation to get something done, do it. It’s easy to lose that spark of enthusiasm or have something else come up that soaks up your time and energy. Juggling everything is hard and completing assignments can often end up taking twice as long as you thought it would. Do not put yourself in a position where you can’t submit your best work simply because you didn’t give yourself adequate lead time. To that end, make a habit of attending office hours. Fuqua has fantastic professors and TAs and they are great about making themselves available to help you.

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MSQM:HA students "meet" in Durham without leaving home

Classroom of Remote Students on Video Monitors
Fuqua's demanding quantitative program offers the flexibility to maintain your career and personal priorities
More About MSQM:HA
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Global Executive MBA

Top Areas of Career Focus

Financial Services (20%)
Consulting (5%)
Sales/Business Development (5%)
Energy/Chemical/Gas (9%)
Marketing/PR/Advertising (6%)
Consumer Goods (3%)

Typical Class Demographics
Global Executive MBA

Average Age

28-45

Average Work Experience

5-20 years

Countries Represented

17

Women

35%

Non-US Citizenship

30%
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Master of Management Studies: Duke Kunshan University

Undergraduate Majors

Business/Accounting (51%)
Economics (22%)
Liberal Arts (14%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (10%)
Other (4%)

Typical Class Demographics
MMS: Duke Kunshan University

Average Age

23

Average Work Experience

6 months or less

Countries Represented

11

Women

53%

Non-US Citizenship

69%
false

Master of Management Studies: Foundations of Business

Undergraduate Majors

Liberal Arts (33%)
Business/Accounting (24%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (18%)
Economics (17%)
Other (8%)

Typical Class Demographics
MMS: Foundations of Business

Average Age

23

Average Work Experience

6 months or less

Countries Represented

27

Women

49%

Non-US Citizenship

43%
false

Weekend Executive MBA

Top Areas of Career Focus

IT (16%)
Financial Services (14%)
Health Care/Health Services (10%)
Manufacturing/Operations (9%)
Sales/Business Development (8%)
Consulting (8%)

Typical Class Demographics
Weekend Executive MBA

Age Range

28-45

Students with Advanced Degrees

32%

Work Experience

5-20 years

Countries Represented

19

Women

27%
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